According to the rules of the Catholic Church, monks and nuns are not allowed to marry because they have vowed to unite themselves with God, abandon all worldly things, and focus on service to others. *** As soon as Bram left Santa Theresia Monastery, Laras immediately went into her room. It was neither too large nor too small, measuring roughly three by five meters. Inside were a bed, a wardrobe, and a small bathroom. Beside the bed stood a little table where she usually prayed. On it were statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, two candles on either side, and a beautiful plastic flower arrangement. At the far end of the room was a desk where she usually worked on her assignments. A laptop and a printer sat on the desk. They were no longer particularly new, but she still used them to help with her work.
Laras had dared to leave behind all the luxury and wealth her parents possessed, choosing instead the simple life of a nun, far removed from extravagance. But that was God's secret—no one ever knew what would happen to each individual. God had chosen Laras to serve Him and commanded her to leave behind all the luxury she had possessed.
Laras stepped into her room and sat quietly in front of the table where she usually prayed. During her prayer, she said nothing and closed her eyes. She meditated there for a long time, until at the end of her meditation, she finally spoke in her heart.
“God, You know that Your servant is weak and often falls into sin. So I beg You to reach out Your hand and do not let Your servant fall. Amen.”
Then she opened her eyes, and her meditation was over. She tried turning on her laptop for a moment to look over some of her assignments—the lessons she had to prepare for the next day, when she would teach the children at the community center. *** Meanwhile, at the airport, Bram waited for his plane to take off and leave Yogyakarta for Malang, where he lived.
That afternoon at the airport, he sat lost in thought, staring at the people passing in front of him. He saw without really seeing, stared without really looking, directing nothing but an empty gaze at the people walking by.
His thoughts remained fixed on Laras. He still couldn't erase her from his heart. But why was Laras different now from the way she had been six years ago? She was the woman he had once known, yet her kind nature had not changed in the slightest.
At around six in the evening, his plane departed Yogyakarta, and at around ten that night, he arrived in Malang. That same night, he went home, showered, and went straight to bed.
He had made it through another day—a day filled with unforgettable memories.
Bram lived in that house with only a few household assistants and his younger brother. His parents lived overseas and returned from time to time only to check on the companies managed by Bram and his brother. It was a luxurious home in an upscale neighborhood, a large two-story house. Bram was a young, handsome businessman. What woman wouldn't want him? Yet who would have thought that beneath it all, his heart was attached to a woman he could never possibly have.
That night, he tried to rest and close his eyes, but he couldn't. Images of Laras kept passing before his eyes. Every time he tried to close them, Laras's image was always there, running through his mind.